Don't American airports hold connecting flights (within reason)? I can remember a frantic dash at Dallas/Fort Worth to get from a late-running flight ex Seattle to the plane for Manchester, only to discover that they were expecting us.

Maybe international travellers get better treatment than internal passengers?

Two years ago I returned from New Zealand on the flights from hell (and with what turned out to be pneumonia)....Aukland to Sydney, then to LAX, exasperating trip through customs, walk to domestic terminal, long wait for the Redeye to Philadelphia, then to Charlotte for a very close connection to Roanoke, which I boarded at the last minute, only to be told I was on the wrong plane because the gates had been changed at the last minute.

The flight attendant rather unceremoniously ushered me off the plane and gave me back my boarding pass and told me to go to a gate some distance away.

When I got there the plane had left - nobody bothered to offer to hold it for me.

As I mentioned I was already sick, and, when the man at the gate told me I'd missed it, I burst into tears. In seconds he was on the phone, had located another flight for Roanoke that was about to depart, got a golf cart and escorted me to the gate, where they WERE holding the plane.....and I was seated in the only available seat, in First Class.

I haven't had to resort to tears since, but I am keeping it in reserve. The squeaking wheel, you know.....

Yeah, tears (genuine) can be effective. Happened to me in Dallas-FortWorth.

Barbara, one thing you can do, and I recommend you do it, is during your first flight as the stewardess goes by at some point, ask if the flight is on time. Even if it is on time, tell her you've got a close (in time) connecting flight (and have the flight number immediately at hand) and that you're ill/tired and you want to make sure you catch the connection. Ask if the connecting flight can be notified that you are indeed going to be there. They may call ahead for you, so that the second flight will be expecting you at their gate.

Or call the airline a day or so ahead of time and ask them about their policies regarding connecting flights, and let them know your concerns. I've found that when you contact places ahead of time, letting them know you want to be sure you understand something, they try to be helpful. Mainly because you *aren't* a frustrated/angry/hurting customer at that time, I think.

But glory be, the movers got here right before Thanksgiving and I am connected again, hallelujah. I was beginning to suffer withdrawal pains.

I made the connection in Phoenix okay, and arrived at the house around midnight -- which was 3 a.m. Pittsburgh time. I was pretty much wiped out, but the cats just seemed bored by the whole experience. They've adjusted faster than I have. But I must say I enjoyed the first leg of my flight more than any other plane trip I've taken. The reason was that for the first time in two months, I didn't have any physical labor to perform. All I had to do was sit there and read. Heavenly. This move has been strenuous for me, but there's been one unexpected benefit: I've lost 18 pounds.

Food costs more here; items I bought regularly in Pittsburgh are a fourth to a third more in California. Biggest culture shock: garbage collection. One container per household per week. That's a county law. If you have more than that, you have to hire someone to haul it away to the dump. Then you have to pay a dumping fee. And here I have an absolute mountain of empty boxes out on the patio. Oy.

Anyway, I'm settling in. Not all the unpacking is done yet, but I'm getting there.